Demountable hollow molding and receptacle



Oct. 18, 1949.

E. l. GINTHER DEMOUNTABLE HOLLOW MOLDING AND RECEPTACLE Filed Aug. 28, 1947 W W G a m M z/W (Ittorneg Patented Oct. 18, 1949 DEMOUNTABLE HOLLOW= MOLDING. AND RECEPTAGLE Elwood. I. Ginthe'r, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application August28, 1947; .Serial'No; 77130175 (Cl. 174F101.)

2 Claims.

provements in molding broadly, but particularly inthat type. which is known as surbase or baseboard molding, and again more particularly in a: demountable, hollow molding formed of sheet material such as plastic or other suitable electric insulating substance behind: which electric wires may be concealed, whether they are for the purpose of electric light, or power, or for telephone, or other purposes.

Another object is to provide a molding of this character, which can. be attached to any existing. wooden baseboard or the like, withoutrequiringzthe. substitution of the newer and more costly metallic baseboards, which have in recent years been designed for use especially. in large fireproofi buildings.

A further object is to provide a molding which in cross section is adapted to many esthetic shapes,.but.which. in each instance is so. designed as to be readily snapped into place upon-the'upper edge portion of a baseboard, whether of wood or other material'for-thatmatter, and-which can be released therefrom by almost as simple a manipulation.

Still another and particular object is to so. form the molding and a resilient latch. finger carried by the baseboard directly, that when in operative position a heel-like portion of said molding serves as. a fulcrum as it is forced directly against the wall surface to which the baseboard is attached, so that the latch cooperates with said wall surface to secure said molding yieldingly in position and prevent looseness or crevices in which dirt can collect.

A still further object is to provide in combination with the improved molding an electric receptacle block that is designed to be secured to the upper edge of the baseboard at any desired location, and to which access is gained by the contact fingers of a regular electric plug when inserted through a pair of spaced apertures in the lower forward portion of said molding.

And a still further object is to provide improvements in electrical receptacles such as may be used in conjunction with the improved molding, and which in general comprise a block of insulating material adapted to be secured to the usually upper surface of a baseboard, a diagonally downwardly directed surface into which extend a pair of bores, a pair of metallic contact members within said bores, a pair of transversely extending bores in said block through which electric wires are adapted to extend, an integral extension inwardly from each of said contact members, and

2, a screw for each member operative to bindoneof said-extensions against and. in: electric contact with one of. said. wires as the latter extends through said bloclc.

With the objects thusbriefly settforth the inventionscomprises furtherv details ofv construction. and. operation, which. are hereinafter fully described in the following, description, when-read in conjunctionwith the: accompanying drawings; in which-Fig. 1 is a front. elevational viewofia fragmentary portion of the improved .molding in combination with. a representative section of ordinary baseboard; Fig. 2. is-a vertical section on the. line 2.2 of Fig. 1; F'ig-. 3'is a-Iside elevational view of the; contact block per se; Fig. 4:is. a front elevation ofthe-same; and1Fig. 5 isan. enlarged perspective view of, one: of thecontact members that are positioned within: said. block..

Referring: to, the; drawings. a representative example. of I well known types. of baseboards is shown as comprising. the usualupright member I, securedzto the verticalsurfaceof awall 2.; while a-small. solid moldinga 3 finishes ofil the junction angle between the. baseboard-proper and the floor surface; Inrthis' case theupright. member I terminates upwardly-in. ahorizontal surface 5; butlit. is vto-be. understood thattthe invention is? by nomeans-limitedto abaseboard in. the exact position. show-11,. but. is:v intended: to be used: in whatever places andipositionsit may be adapted tooccupy.

Upon. the said: upper. surface 5 are securedv at properly spaced intervals L-shaped" latch: elements, comprising in each instance a base portion 6 secured to the surface 5 in any suitable manner as by screws I, and a generally upwardly extending resilient finger B, which terminates upwardly in an undercut head 9 forming a latch that faces the adjacent surface of the wall 2. This element is of such material and construction that when the improved molding is not present, as for example before it has been placed as designed, said finger yieldingly and resiliently approaches and may actually rest against the wall 2, if desired.

The improved molding itself comprises a hollow member ID of practically any desired cross section, but essentially including a free edge portion I I, which is normally pressed directly against the uppermost portion of the outer surface of the upright member I (as shown in Fig. 2), while its opposite edge portion is sharply curved to form a heel I2, that normally bears against the wall 2, as an angular, diagonally outwardly extending terminal portion I3 having a reversely curved latch-engaging lip I4 is engaged by and forced towards said wall by the latch extension 9 of the resilient element 6-8. The spaced, independent latch elements may be replacd by a single, elongated element whenever desired.

To attach the improved molding, it is simply placed so that the heel l2 engages the wall 2, and the terminal portion I3 is forced downwardly behind the latch 9, which latter clicks into the position shown and holds the molding firmly against accidental shifting or detachment from the baseboard. However, when desiring to remove said molding, it is only necessary to lift its outer portion Ill-ll and insert an instrument beneath it and thence upwardly into engagement with the under side of the molding in the vicinity of the heel l2, and force the lip upwardly from beneath and free from engagement with said latch. To facilitate this release and separation, the engaging portions 9 and It may be more rounded than they are shown in Fig. 2.

The receptacle block comprises a body portion I5 mounted upon a preferably enlarged base l6 through which the screws I extend. A U-shaped recess l'l extends inwardly from the normally rear face of said body and transversely extends from side to side thereof, to receive a pair of wires that extend through said molding. From a diagonally downwardly directed forward face [8 of said body a pair of bores l9 extend inwardly and diagonally upwardly into communication with spaced portions of said recess l1. In each of these bores is positioned a resilient metallic terminal contact element (Fig. 5), that essentially comprises a pair of spaced, substantially parallel, or slightly divergent, portions 20 and 2 I, integrally connected at 22, and one of said portions comprising an integral rearward extension 23, which extends into the recess I"! and is engaged by one of the spaced, vertically extending binding screws 24, to force said extension into electric contact with one of the electric conductors or wires 25. That portion of the molding which extends across and preferably substantially parallel with the body face I8 is provided with a pair of spaced apertures 26, so positioned that they are in alignment with the receptacle body bores I9, and permit direct access of a pair of plug contacts (not shown) with the receptacle contact elements hereinbefore described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination of a baseboard fixedly positioned with respect to a wall surface, a member secured to said baseboard in spaced relation with said surface and having an integral, resiliently positioned, recessed latch extension facing said wall, and a hollow molding having a reversely turned heel and a lip engaging within the recess of said latch as said heel engages said wall, forcing the opposite edge portion of said molding into contact with the outer face of said baseboard, said molding having an aperture, and a receptacle block supported by said baseboard to the rear of said molding and having a contact accessible through said molding aperture.

2. An electric receptacle, comprising a body having a U-shaped recess extending transversely thereof and inwardly from one lateral surface, a pair of bores extending through said body angularly with respect to the direction of and entering said recess, a pair of terminal contact elements in said bores having extensions projecting into said recess, and binding screws carried by said body and operative to press said terminal extensions into engagement with electric conductors extending into said body recess, and a housing for said receptacle comprising a base member on which said receptacle is secured adapted to be secured to a wall surface, a flexible latch finger carried by said member and resiliently positioned adjacent to said wall surface, and a hollow molding of sheet material having apertures in alignment with said terminal elements and an angular extension providing a wall-engaging heel and a terminal portion engageable with said finger to secure said molding in fixed position with respect to said base member.

ELWOOD I. GINTHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 800,053 Ayers Sept. 19, 1905 906,218 Goddard Dec. 8, 1908 1,437,324 Tashjean Nov. 28, 1922 1,816,847 Hausmann Aug. 4, 1931 2,107,915 'Iashjean Feb. 8, 1938 2,132,400 Curren Oct. 11, 1938 2,190,196 Semenyna Feb. 13, 1940 

